The eight 2016 nails trends you need to know about

1. UV-free gel polish

This year at-home gel nail alternatives are better than ever. Forget paying for a pro to nail you a long-lasting gel mani, or buying a pricey bit of kit. Instead try Rimmel's new two-step Super Gel Nail Polish which is easy to apply and dries like a regular polish, no UV lamp needed. The result? Up to 14 days of chip-free colour with ultra gloss.

A post shared by Rimmel London UK (@rimmellondonuk) on Feb 25, 2016 at 3:00pm PST

2. Fine lines

This chic nail art trend is minimalist with a twist. Stick to a singular base colour and draw graphic lines horizontally across the nails, or all around the outer edges, as seen on many a catwalk for both upcoming seasons. The look is unfussy, fresh, cool and clean. Consider us quietly obsessed.

3. Metallics and pastels

Colours fall into two camps this season, moody metallics or pretty pastels. We're loving reflective charcoal greys, shimmering silvers and burnished bronze on the nails as an extension of your jewellery. For a fun feel try pastels in the hues of seafoam green, chalk grey and baby pink.

A post shared by Rimmel London UK (@rimmellondonuk) on Feb 20, 2016 at 6:59am PST

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4. Coffin shaped nails

Yet another beauty trend we can thank Kylie Jenner for. Coffin nails are long, angular-shaped nails (like actual coffins). Morbidly beautiful? Perhaps. Although they've been around for a while (and Kylie's moved on to short 'n' chic already), Pinterest forecast coffin nails as THE nail shape for 2016. As they're squarer than the formerly popular 'stiletto' they're easier to maintain, but - given the length - coffins are most practical on nails overlaid with hard gel or acrylic (also known as L&P or liquid and powder).

5. Natural lengths

The counter trend to coffin nails is to wear them short for minimum maintenance. Even Kylie Jenner is doing it (and with a new nail polish collection under her belt she knows the talon trends), so it won't be long before we all follow suit. Speaking to our sister site, Cosmopolitan.com, Kylie said, "I feel like natural nails are the way to go, I'm really into short nails — mine are short right now".

6. Skincare for nails

To keep natural nails ultra healthy, nail products now act like skincare – nursing nails with hydration, strength and shine as well as priming them for polish. Try the Rimmel London Nail Nurse PerfectioNail as a double duty base coat or colour, and the Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-in-1 Nail Treatment, which comes supercharged with superfoods.

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7. Pom-pom nails

With those adorably fuzzy blobs accessorising our handbags and hair it was on a matter of time before we started placing pom-poms on our nails. The embellishment trend hails from Korea, where girls are applying them to their manis in majorly creative ways. We're in.

8. Off the nail accessories

In line with pom-pom manis, accessories that go off the nail (using the free edge and nail bed as starting points) is the new way to nail (see what we did there?) nail art. Yep, nails as accessories in their own right - with dangling jewels, chains and serious 3D texture - were seen on the catwalks as the ultimate antidote to nude talons. Practical? No. Hards as nails? Yes.